Backstory and the Moral Compass

I've talked about backstory before and how a character's past will inform their motives (why they do what they do) as well as their attitudes (how they respond to the people and events around them), but their past also plays a huge role in shaping their moral compass (or moral code). 

What is a moral compass? 

This is the code (or guiding principles) by which your character lives (the code which explains their motives and attitudes). 

A character will use their moral compass to determine what is right and what is wrong and how they will behave in certain situations.

Though stealing is considered wrong, Character A has no problem robbing from the rich to give to the poor. 

Though killing is considered wrong, Character B has no qualms about avenging the death of a loved one.

Though they may be a pacifist, Character C might draw the line when someone weaker is being bullied, stepping in to take care of the situation.

Why?

Well, let's look into their past. 

Maybe Character A watched a corrupt billionaire run a company into the ground, ruining her father's livelihood and depleting his retirement savings/pension. So when she stumbles across a hole in the operating software of this billionaire's new company, she sees a chance to make things right. Would she steal if it were any other situation? Probably not, but according to her moral compass, stealing is okay if the victim deserves it.

Maybe Character B lost a parent to a dark lord. When the dark lord returns, he seizes his opportunity. He's no murderer, but how could he pass up the chance to finally even the score?

Maybe Character C was severely bullied growing up. When he sees a kid being terrorized in an alley, he decides to step in. He doesn't go around beating people up for no reason, but his moral compass is set to help those who can't help themselves. 

Photo by Dishan Lathiya from Pexels

There are reasons why we do the things we do. Sometimes we operate consciously, sometimes it's unconscious, but it always makes sense in relation to our past experiences. 

The same applies to our characters: their behavior should make sense in relation to who they are and what they've been through, whether or not those events are fully explored on the page. (Some parts of the backstory are just for the author, after all.) 

This isn't to say that a character can't act in opposition to their core values; in fact, this is a great way to show some contradiction and depth. 

What if Character A sets out to take everything from that billionaire, but, at the last minute, has a change of heart?

What if your character is vehemently opposed to lying, but witnesses something she is forced to downplay or keep a secret?

What if your character's moral compass swings toward selfishness as a form of self-preservation when he stumbles across a dog in need of a home? 

No matter what your character decides to do in any given situation--whether they are acting in accordance with their moral compass or not and whether this is part of the arc that will change them or otherwise--the behavior still needs to make sense based on what we know about them.

Your character's backstory will shape their moral compass. 

Know their history, their values, and why they do what they do, but be sure to leave a little room for them to surprise you.

Be Brilliant!

~Katie~

Writing Descriptions

The dialogue always comes early.

For me, that is.

I always hear the conversations my characters have in my head first and foremost. Writing the in-between--what's happening outside the conversation--has always been a bit harder.

So if you're anything like me and aren't always sure what to include between the conversations in your fiction, here are a few options:

What the character is doing.

Conversations rarely exist in a vacuum. We're most likely conversing while performing other tasks (washing the dishes, walking to work, re-stocking that shelf, etc.), so consider where your characters are and the activity they're engaged in while talking. Give us hints at how the activity is progressing. 

What the character is thinking/feeling. 

We rarely say what we mean. What does your character think about what's being relayed? This is a great place to add some conflict. For instance, maybe your main character agrees to meet with someone at another time, pretending she's okay with this, when she's actually suppressing her disappointment. Give us those inner thoughts. Show us the contrast between her expectations versus reality, or what she's predicting will happen.

What people are doing around them.

What does your character notice about the activities taking place around them? What (or who) is grabbing at their attention? Don't toss random associations into your descriptions--if a character sees something worth mentioning, it should mean something. Still, this is a great way to fill the space between your spoken words.

Backstory.

Is there an important piece of backstory that can be imparted during this conversation? Is there something about the past the character remembers, or a revelation she's having? Since backstory shouldn't be info-dumped into a single location, use conversations as a natural way to intersperse past (relevant) events into the present story.

Location.

Similar to noting what the character sees happening around her, what does the space look like? Are they in a garden or walking along a city street? Working in a kitchen at the back of a restaurant? What are the sights, sounds, and smells associated with this place? Toss in a few specific details to ground your reader within the setting as you move the conversation along.

Photo by Andrea Piacquadio from Pexels

Again, it's worth noting that every description included in a passage should be pertinent or important in some way. 

Also, keep in mind that balance is needed when interspersing these details, especially when they occur in the middle of a conversation. The reader needs enough information to gain a solid image of the time and place, but not so much that it takes over what's being said by the characters.

The perfect melding of description and dialogue, of course, will come with time and practice, so Get Writing. :D 

And always. . . . 

Be Brilliant!

~Katie~

The Chance Encounter

If all stories begin with a disruption of routine, then the "chance encounter" is considered one of those potential disruptions. 

A chance encounter occurs when someone from your protagonist's past waltzes back into their world. He has not seen her for years, but, suddenly, there she is.

The chance encounter sets up a fairly deep story, automatically pulling problems from the past into the present. Not only will the reader need to know what happened before (i.e. how they met, some of their experiences together, what drove them apart, etc.), but also how they have changed in the weeks, months, and years it's been since they last saw each other. 

This feeds directly into the plot of the narrative, of course, or how the two of them will address and work through their shared history, and the baggage that may come along with this, in order to move forward. 

Be Brilliant!

~Katie~

Eliminating the Info Dumps

It can be tempting for new writers to want to begin a novel with a resume's worth of information about the main character.

This is what we refer to as the "info dump."

First chapters from new"ish" writers tend to overly present backstory and minutiae--details like the color of a character's hair or eyes, how she feels about her brother (whether or not he's an important part of the story), and the fifth-grade teacher who made her want to pursue a degree in veterinary science. 

After all, the reader needs context--to know more about who a character is and what she's been through--to better understand what she's about to face.

The problem, though, is that these often read like a laundry list of information and experiences and rarely kick-start a story. They contain the kind of writing readers tend to gloss over and skim to get to the more "exciting" parts.

The remedy?

1. Write the first three chapters of your story, then toss out the first. Find a way to incorporate the information presented in that first chapter into later chapters.

If the action does happen to begin in chapter one, then toss every paragraph leading up to that moment. 

or. . . .

2. Keep in mind from the moment you open that blank document that it's important to begin your story as close to the action as possible, then intersperse the backstory and character details as they become relevant.

An author will *always* know more about a character than should appear in an actual novel, but just because *we* know that her fifth-grade teacher had a profound influence on a character doesn't mean the reader needs to know this (unless he does). 

And remember: rather than telling (i.e. presenting that resume or profile directly to the reader), it's always best to show the character in action.

Be Brilliant!

~Katie~

P.S. This strategy isn't only limited to fiction. I tell my composition and non-fiction students that any introduction they write to their essays should serve as a placeholder only. After the piece is written, they should delete the intro and start over from scratch. 

The first attempt at anything is mediocre, at best.

Good writing is good revising.   

Five Reasons Your Scene Isn't Working

You've read the scene over and over, you know it's not working, but you can't quite figure out why.

What's going on?

Well, it could be that 1) nothing is happening. There's no action or any kind of exchange taking place. The content just drags the reader along without offering any kind of real story value.

It could be that things are happening but 2) there's no change. The characters aren't working toward a turning point or make any concessions, and the state of the world is the same at the end of the scene as it was in the beginning. In other words, the scene is "flat." 

Maybe the problem is that 3) the scene is an info dump of a character's thoughts/feelings or includes too much backstory (which naturally pulls readers away from the action).

Perhaps the content is okay, but 4) the rhythm is off. There are beats and turning points, but these don't appear in the best places--the scene is poorly structured.

Or maybe 5) the content is too predictable. The conversation and actions are full of cliches and there's nothing in the story to surprise the reader.

Every good scene will have a purpose as it relates to the overall plot. It will also contain its own mini-arc. Characters will actively do things and respond to things being done to them. Charges will change from positive to negative and back again, and *something* will be different by the end, whether it's the character's thoughts or feelings about something or a new decision that has been made that will lead us in some other direction.     

Scene problems require us to think critically about what's happening in a small section of text and how it fits into the overall story. It requires careful consideration about character interaction and who's driving the narrative as well as the ways in which the story world changes from moment to moment. 

If a scene isn't working, it's worth breaking the content down to its barest bones, determining its overall purpose, and pinpointing the problem so that it can be made better.

Be Brilliant!

~Katie~

To Flashback or Not to Flashback?

When writers insert a flashback, it's because they need to present information from the past that's relevant to the present.

The problem?

Flashbacks slow down the narrative.

They put the action "on pause."

The desire to know what's happening next is what pushes the reader forward, but a flashback flips this idea, sending the reader straight to the past, or to what happened before the story began.

Therefore, it's safe to say that flashback scenes should be limited. If, as a writer, you're introducing too many flashbacks, you're probably telling the wrong story (or, at least, the wrong part of it), anyway.

Still, there are times when flashbacks are necessary and helpful, so treat every flashback like its own mini-story. Dramatize the events to keep the pace moving.

And remember that a flashback is only as helpful as its location. If the reader doesn't want or need to know the information at the time, then a flashback will only obstruct the story. But if there's no way to proceed without confusing the reader (i.e. she needs this information at this very moment to move forward), then go for it.  

Be Brilliant!

~Katie~

Flashbacks -- Writing Tip

Like backfill, flashbacks pull your reader away from the action. But this doesn't mean you have to avoid them at all costs. Too many flashbacks and you might be telling the wrong story, but flashbacks do serve a purpose: they offer additional insight into a character and can bring the reader up to speed. 

Still, we have to know about the character's present situation if we're going to care at all about their past, so maybe beginning a story with a flashback isn't the best idea.

But if you need to write a flashback into one of your scenes, know that it has to be strong enough to keep us interested. This means it should offer value to the story and add relevant depth to the character or storyline.

Be clear: we should know that it's a flashback and approximately when it took place in relation to the character and their current situation. 

No flashbacks for the sake of filling space.

And make sure that appropriate "kick" (our swimming pool theory) is there to help us navigate to the other side.

Flashbacks, when done right, can offer the reader some much-needed breathing room to help process what's taking place.

Again, balance is key.

Be Brilliant!

~Katie~

Backfill -- Writing Tip

If your story moves at 100% the entire time--endless drama and action--the reader will likely wear out. It's also unlikely they will be able to keep pace without backstory, or exposition, that explains who these characters are, why they matter, and how they stumbled into the problems they're currently facing.

Exposition, however, does slow down your narrative.

This can be a good thing (it gives us a break from the action) or a bad thing (it can make us put down the book).

Nancy Kress (Beginnings, Middles & Ends) has a Swimming Pool Theory that helps with this:

"The stronger and more forceful your initial kick, the longer you can glide through the water. The stronger and more forceful your opening scene, the less your reader will mind a 'glide' through nondramatized backfill."

The key is balance. 

Give us that kick of action, then let us glide. Give another kick, then glide. . . .

Be Brilliant!

~Katie~